


Hidden Strength

by Kiraly



Series: Kiraly's 100 Fics Prompt Challenge [3]
Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 17:01:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6618877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiraly/pseuds/Kiraly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emil sometimes forgets how strong Lalli is. Once in a while Lalli needs a reminder that Emil is strong, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hidden Strength

**Author's Note:**

> This fulfills #20 on the SSSS prompt challenge - Fortitude  
> Also based on a prompt from a [list of "100 Ways To Say I Love You"](http://worldsentwined.tumblr.com/post/142224367464/one-hundred-ways-to-say-i-love-you) on Tumblr - #22 "It's not heavy. I'm stronger than I look." Thanks to Tumblr user grammarpedant for requesting! I'm sorry it took me so long.
> 
> Soooo...this is the first time I've actually posted anything with non-English words in it. I used Google Translate, so if any Finnish speakers notice weird phrasing or spelling, please tell me and I'll fix it! **Edit:** Thanks Rusakko for your corrections! Hopefully I made all the right changes.

“All right, we’re done for the day. Little Viking, you and Twig grab the rest of the books and head back to the tank.” Sigrun slung two packs of books over her shoulders. “I’ll guard the rear.”

Emil shouldered one of the remaining book packs and straightened. It was heavy, like they always were, but he thought he might be able to get another. He reached for the strap, only to have it snatched away before he could grasp it.

“Lalli, what—whoa.” The scout already had a pack over one shoulder, and casually slung the second over his other arm like it was nothing special. “Are you sure you can carry both of those?”

Lalli met the question with one of his signature stares. Emil fumbled for a better way to ask; he was trying to glean bits of Finnish from Tuuri, but none of it would be helpful here. He settled for hefting the pack on his own back and nodding at Lalli. “ _K-kunnossa_?” No, that was wrong. "Uhh... _kaikki hyvin_?"

Lalli blinked and cocked his head to the side the way he always did when Emil tried to speak Finnish. Eventually he nodded. “ _Eivät ne ole raskaita. Olen vahvempi kuin miltä näytän._ ”

“Uhh…” That meant nothing to Emil. But apparently Lalli was all right with his load, because he set off towards the entrance. Emil sighed, repeated the phrase a few times in his head so he could ask Tuuri later, and followed.

 

* * *

 

“Olen...va-vempi kun milta naytan?” Emil tripped over the words.

Tuuri frowned and tapped her pen against her chin. “Hmm. And you said he was carrying a lot of books?”

Emil nodded. “I don’t know how he does that. He looks like a breeze would knock him over, but then he just lifts those packs like they’re full of clouds. Lalli’s a lot—”

“Stronger than he looks?” Tuuri finished.

Emil stared at her. “Exactly. How did you know I was going to say that?”

Tuuri grinned. “Because that’s what Lalli said, more or less. ‘They're not heavy, I’m stronger than I look.’ Maybe you understand him better than you think.”

She was right, but not about Emil’s Finnish proficiency. Even before he’d started learning the language, he and Lalli just seemed... _in tune_ with each other. Out on the book-finding missions they could communicate when to stay still and when to move on, or who should go first into a new room, all without saying a word. Emil could tell when Lalli had picked up troll signs, and Lalli knew to get out of Emil’s way when it was time for the flamethrower. Back at the tank the signs of their accord were more subtle. Emil could predict whether or not Lalli would eat the sludge Mikkel called dinner. Lalli somehow knew when Emil had a bad day and needed the comfort of fingers running through his hair. He also knew—and this was strange, because Emil himself hadn’t known he needed this—that sometimes after a particularly harrowing troll encounter it was better for both of them if they slept in the same bed. They were learning each other much faster than Emil was learning Finnish.

 

* * *

 

The troll came out of nowhere. Emil was distracted, watching the flames lick the walls of the building where he’d burned out a nest. He didn’t see the straggler until it was right on top of him, and by then it was too late to do anything but shout. They got it eventually—well, Sigrun got it—but not before it had torn a deep gash in Emil’s leg.

“You got lucky,” Mikkel informed him, back at the tank, “it missed everything important. You should be fine to walk on it, but you’ll want to stay off your feet as much as possible for the next few days. Now hold still, I have to stitch this up.”

By some mercy Emil passed out during the stitches, and woke later to find himself neatly bandaged and tucked into bed. There were murmurs from the front of the tank, but no one else in the sleeping quarters.

Or so he thought. Emil’s sigh set off a rustle of fabric from somewhere below him. It might have been the kitten poking her nose into things. Or…

“Lalli?”

The rustling grew louder, turned into movement. Lalli emerged from underneath Emil’s bed and blinked in the light.

“Lalli! I’m glad you’re all right, I lost track of you when the troll showed up. You aren’t hurt, are you?”

Lalli shook his head, favored Emil with the exasperated look that meant “I don’t understand what you’re saying”. Emil grimaced. “Sorry.” He asked the question with his eyes instead; Lalli didn’t _look_ like he was in pain, and there were no obvious bruises or scrapes that hadn’t already been there. If anything, it seemed like Lalli was worried about _him._

Emil carefully maneuvered into a sitting position. The room spun for a second, reminding him that he’d lost a fair amount of blood, but then Lalli’s arm slid behind his back and steadied him. “Thanks, Lalli,” he said. He lifted the blanket over his bandaged leg and pointed. “See? You don’t have to worry about me. It hurts, but I can still use it.” Emil wiggled his toes for emphasis.

Some of the tension drained from the arm supporting him. Emil felt himself relaxing too, enough so that he didn’t protest when Lalli lowered him back onto the pillows. The Finn fussed with the blankets, making sure Emil’s injured leg was covered, then—

“What are you—oh.” Emil closed his mouth and let Lalli climb over him to nestle between Emil and the wall. A bony arm wrapped across his chest and squeezed tightly enough to make some of his bruises ache. Silvery hair tickled his neck, and ice blue eyes met his. Emil smiled, but Lalli still looked concerned.

“Lalli, I promise I’m all right. _Kunnossa._ ”

Lalli squeezed tighter, buried his face in Emil’s shoulder. He muttered something unintelligible, but Emil didn’t need to know the words to know the meaning. He felt the same, whenever Lalli got hurt. So he rested his chin on Lalli’s head and said, in his broken attempt at Finnish, “ _I’m stronger than I look.”_ He wrapped his arm around Lalli's shoulders and pulled him closer.

A pause, then Lalli’s grip eased. He was still holding Emil tight, but that was fine, it was what Emil wanted anyway. _After a day like this, I can use a little support. We might both be strong on our own…but we’re stronger together._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Is this really the first Emil/Lalli thing I've posted? Strange. They get up to all kinds of things in my head, I just haven't written them down yet. 
> 
> For the non-Finnish speakers (and thanks again Rusakko for the help!) a few translations:  
>  _Kunnossa:_ All right (physically unhurt)  
>  _Kaikki hyvin:_ Everything good, okay  
>  _Eivät ne ole raskaita. Olen vahvempi miltä näytän:_ They're not heavy. I'm stronger than I look. (If it wasn't completely obvious, since that phrase comes up many times throughout the fic).


End file.
